Inking mechanism



June 23, 1959 H. w. FAEBER INKING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 7. 1957 IN V EN TOR.

HARRY W. FAEBER 4 r TOR/VEYS,

2,891,473 INKING MECHANISM Harry W. Faeber, Larchmont, N.Y., assignor 'to Time, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application January 7, 1957, Serial No. 632,883

12 Claims. c1. 101-350 This invention relates to an inking mechanism for a printing press and, more particularly, to an' improved and simplified drive system forthe various components of an inking mechanism.

In a conventional ink system for a printing press, the ink is transmitted from an ink fountain or reservoir to an ink receiving surface of the printing press by an inking mechanism which includes a fountain roller in communication with the ink fountain, a series of ink distributing rollers which transmit the ink to the ink receiving surface of the printing press, and a rotary ductor mechanism which transfers the ink from the fountain roller to the ink distributing rollers. The rotary ductor mechanism frequently comprises one or more ductor rollers which are translated in an orbital path to bring a ductor roller into rolling contact with the fountain roller and then into rolling contact with one of the ink distributing rollers.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved and simplified drive for an inking mechanism of this general organization. Accordingly, the' drive transmission system which translates the ductor roll in an orbital path includes a motion modifying means which decreases the linear velocity of the translation imparted to the ductor roll while it is in engagement with the surfaces from which it receives or to which it supplies ink, while increasing the linear velocity of the ductor roll between the said surfaces.

Another feature of the present invetnion is that it prov ductor roll as it travels in its orbital path with respect to the peripheral velocity imparted to the rollers of the ink distributing system in the event it is desired to increase or decrease the quantity of ink supplied to the ink receiving surface of the printing press.

The details and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the invention which follows and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation view, partly in cross-section, of an inking mechanism embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating part of the mechanism shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1, illustrating the operation thereof.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, ink 10 is stored in a fountain or reservoir 11 and transmitted to an ink receiving surface carried by the rotary cylinder 12 of the printing press by components which comprise a fountain roller 13, a rotary ductor mechanism, generally desigice nated 14, and an ink distributing system, generally designated 15. The fountain roller 13 is partially'immersed in the ink fountain, and the ink is fed from the surface of the fountain roller to the surface of the roller 16 of the ink distribution system by three ductor rollers 17. The ductor rollers 17 are supported from a common rotatable shaft 18 by radial arms 19 which are connected to the shaft. The rollers 17 are equally spaced from each other, and the axis of each is translated in a circular orbit by the rotation of the shaft 18. Asthe rollers 17 aretranslated in an orbital path, they are brought successively into rolling engagement with the pe ripheral surface of the fountain roller 13 and with the peripheral surface of the ink roller 16 of the ink distribution system. If desired, positive rotation may be imparted to each of the ductor rollers to rotate the ductor rolls about their individual axes, and suitable mechanism for this purpose is described in my copending application, Serial No. 480,725, filed January 10, 1955. For purposes of this application, however, it will be assumed that the rollers are freely rotatable about their shafts 20 and that no positive rotation is imparted thereto, apart from their rolling contact with the rollers 13 and 16. If desired, some yielding action may be provided in supporting the ductor rollers to permit the peripheral surfaces of the ductor rollers to follow part of the peripheral surface of the fountain roller.

The ink supplied to the peripheral surface of the roller 16 is transferred via the rollers 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55, the rollers 54 and 55 being in tangential engagement with the outer circumference of the roller 53 to receive ink therefrom, and in tangential engagement with the outer circumference of the cylinder 12 to apply the ink thereto. It is noted that the cylinder 12 rotates in a counter clockwise direction and that, therefore, the-ink roller 54 is first to engage an ink receiving surface carried by the cylinder 12. It has been found advantageous to supply a heavier layer of ink to the ink receiving surface from the roller 54 first to encounter the ink receiving surface than from the roller 55 last to encounter the ink receiving surface, and this can be accomplished by providing another path for the supply of ink to the roller 55 by the addition of a roller 56. Thus, the layer of ink supplied by the surface of the roller 52 is divided substantially between the surfaces of the rollers 56 and 53. The ink layer supplied by the roller 53, in turn, is divided substantially between the rollers 54 and 55. The ink supplied to the roller 54 via the roller 56, therefore, makes for a heavier layer of ink carried by the roller 54 than that which is carried by the roller 55. Superior application of ink to the ink receiving surface has resulted from this arrangement.

Intermittent or periodic rotation is imparted to the fountain roller 13 by a reciprocable bellcrank lever 25 which is loosely mounted on the shaft 26 which supports the fountain roller. The bellcrank lever 25 is normally maintained in the position shown in Figure 3, with the arm 25a thereof in engagement with an adjustable stop 27, by the action of a weight 28 attached by a flexible connection 2h to the arm 25a. When in this position, the forked or bifurcated end 25c of the arm 25a is in a position to receive a pin or extension 2011 of the shaft 20. Thus, as one of the ductor rollers 17 nears the fountain roller, the lever 25 will be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction by the engagement of the corresponding pin or extension 20a of the shaft 20 with the bifurcated or forked end of the lever 25.

The other arm 25b of the bellcrank lever 25 carries a pawl 30 pivotally connected thereto at 31, and the pawl 30 is in engagement with the teeth of a ratchet Wheel 32 which is afiixed to the shaft 26 which supports the fountain roller 13. When the bellcrank lever is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the pawl 30 engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 32 and thereby imparts rotation to the fountain roller. During the clockwise or return rotation of the bellcrank lever, the pawl 36 is in slipping engagement with the ratchet Wheel so as not to impart rotation to the fountain roller. A brake (not shown) acts against the shaft 26 at all times to prevent retrograde movement of the fountain roller during the return stroke of the bellcrank lever 25 and the pawl 30 and to prevent the fountain roller from being driven by the engagement between the fountain roller and the ductor roller.

The present invention provides means to increase or decrease the rotational movement imparted to the fountain roller 13 during each periodic or intermittent move ment thereof. The pawl 30 carries a pin 34 which extends laterally therefrom so as to engage the cam edge 35a of an adjustable cam member 35. The cam member 35 is rotatably mounted about the axis of the shaft 26 and the member is provided with a handle 35b to facilitate the adjustment thereof. The handle is movable between a pair of fixed guides 36, and the positioning of the cam member 35 is limited by the stops 37 at each end of the guide members 36. The handle 35b is provided with spring urged ball detents 35c accommodated therein which are engageable with recesses 36a which facilitate the positioning of the cam memberv 35. The cam member 35 can be adjusted so that during the clockwise rotation of the bellcrank lever 25, the pin 34 engages the cam edge 35a, thereby lifting the pawl away from the teeth of the ratchet wheel 32 (see Figure 3). Thus, during the operative counter-clockwise rotation of the bellcrank lever, the position of adjustment of the cam member 35 determines the point at which the pawl 30 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel, which in turn determines the angle through which the fountain roller 13 is rotated.

The rotation of the shaft 18 in order to translate the axes of the ductor rollers 17 in an orbital path is accomplished by a drive transmission from a variable speed transmission A. The drive transmission includes a crank 40 driven by the shaft of the transmission A and rotatable about the axis 41, a gear 42 driven by the crank, an idler gear 43 in mesh with the gear 42, and a gear 44 mounted on the shaft 18 and driven by the gear 43. The crank arm 40 carries block 4 which engages and is slidable within a groove 42a in one face of the gear 42. Since the gear 42 is mounted for rotation about an axis 42b which is offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the crank arm 40, it is apparent that the gear 42 will be rotated more rapidly as the crank arm travels through the upper half of its stroke than when it travels through the lower half thereof. Since the ratio is such that the gear 42 makes three complete cycles for each complete revolution of the gear 44, and since the rollers 13 and 16 are spaced approximately 120 apart with respect to the axis of the shaft 18, this arrangement makes it possible to decrease the linear velocity of the rotating ductor mechanism while ductor rollers are in rolling contact with the fountain roller 13 and the ink roller 16, and to increase the velocity of the rotary ductor mechanism during that part of the cycle during which none of the ductor rollers are in contact with either the fountain roller 13 or the ink roller 16.

The ink roller 16 is driven from the press drive at a speed equal to 80% of the surface speed of cylinder 12 by means not shown, and in turn drives the variable speed transmission A through a gear transmission which includes the gears 49, 48, 47 and 46, the gear 43 being mounted to the shaft 16a which supports the ink roller 16. The ink rollers 51 and 53 are also gear driven through a gear transmission from the gear 49, although this gear transmission has not been shown in the drawings. Sufiice it to say that it has been found desirable to drive the peripheral surface of the ink roller 16 at a velocity of about of the peripheral velocities of the ink rollers 51 and 53 in order to provide relative movement between the surfaces of the ink rollers, which in turn spreads the ink more effectively and etficiently. The rollers 50, 52, 54 and 55 are not gear driven but they rotate at an angular velocity which is determined by the peripheral speed of the surfaces which the rollers engage. Roller 56 is driven at the same surface speed as roller 53.

The variable speed device A is a conventional speed variator unit including an input and an output shaft. These shafts, although adjustable as to speed by a common control handle 39, are at all times maintained in a fixed speed ratio to each other. One of these shafts drives the crank arm 40 and the other, by means of the gear 46, serves as the input. The ratio of speed of the input shaft is accurately held with respect to the speed of the rotary cylinder 12, and if more or less ink is required it is necessary merely to adjust the handle 39 to a faster or slower position.

The invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way of example only, and obviously many modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited to any specified form or embodiment, except in so far as such limitations are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ink feeding machanism which supplies ink from an ink fountain to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller distribution system, a fountain roller, a ductor roller for transferring ink from the fountain roller to a roller of the ink roller distribution system, drive transmitting means for imparting a translation in an orbital path to the axis of the ductor roller, bringing the surface of the ductor roller into rolling contact with the fountain roller and the roller of the ink distribution system, reciprocatable means in driving relationship with the fountain roller and means carried by the ductor roller for actuating the reciprocatable means as the ductor roller comes into contact with the fountain roller for imparting intermittent rotational movement to the fountain roller.

2. An ink feeding machanism which supplies ink from an ink fountain to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller distribution system, a fountain roller, a ductor roller for transferring ink from the fountain roller to a roller of the ink roller distribution system, drive transmitting means for imparting translation in an orbital path to the axis of the ductor roller, bringing the surface of the ductor roller into rolling contact with the fountain roller and the roller of the ink distribution system, and means actuatable as the ductor roller comes into contact with the fountain roller for imparting intermittent rotational movement to the fountain roller, said drive transmitting means including motion modifying means to decrease the linear velocity imparted to the axis of the ductor roller while the ductor roller is in rolling contact with the fountain roller and the roller of the ink distribution system and to increase the linear velocity of the axis of the ductor roller as it moves therebetween.

3. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from an ink fountain to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller distribution system, a fountain roller, a ductor roller for transferring ink from the fountain roller to a roller of the ink roller distribution system, drive transmitting means for imparting translation in an orbital path to the axis of the ductor roller, bringing the surface of the ductor roller into rolling contact with the fountain roller and the roller of the ink distribution system, means actuatable as the ductor roller comes into contact with the fountain roller for imparting intermittent rotational movement to the fountain roller, drive transmitting means for the ink roller distribution system, and an adjusting means for varying the ratio of the linear velocity imparted to the axis of the ductor roller with respect to the angular velocity imparted to the rollers of the ink distribution system in a fixed relationship, thereby increasing the quantity of ink supplied to the ink receiving surface.

4. An ink feeding mechanism as set forth in claim 3 wherein the ink distribution system includes at least two ink rollers in tangential engagement with the ink receiving surface, and wherein said ink distribution system includes a greater number of ink transmitting paths to supply ink to the ink roller of the ink distribution system which first engages the ink receiving surface than the ink roller of the distribution system which thereafter engages the ink receiving surface, whereby a heavier layer of ink is applied to the ink receiving surface by the ink roller first to apply ink thereto and a lighter layer of ink is applied to the ink receiving surface by the ink roller thereafter to apply ink thereto.

5. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from a reservoir to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir, an ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface, a ductor roller for transmitting ink from the firstmentioned of said ink rollers to the second-mentioned of said ink rollers, and drive means for translating the ductor roller in an orbital path during which the ductor roller is brought into rolling contact with first one and then the other of said ink rollers, said drive means including motion modifying means to decrease the linear velocity of the axis of the ductor roll while in engagement with the said ink rollers and for increasing the linear velocity therebetween.

6. An ink feeding mechanism as set forth in claim 5 wherein said motion modifying means includes driving and driven members, one of which is a rotatable crank arm and the other of which is a grooved disc, the axis of rotation of the crank arm being oflfset with respect to the axis of rotation of the disc, and the crank arm including means to engage the groove.

7. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from a reservoir to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir, an ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface, a ductor roller for transmitting ink from the first-mentioned to the second-mentioned of said ink rollers, drive means for translating the axis of the ductor roller in an orbital path during which the ductor roller is brought into rolling contact with first one and then the other of said ink rollers, drive means for transmitting rotation to the ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface, said rotation of the ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface being in a fixed relationship with the linear velocity imparted to the axis of the ductor roller, and a common adjusting means for varying the linear velocity of the ductor roller in its orbital translation in a fixed ratio to the peripheral velocity imparted to the ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface.

8. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from a reservoir to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller. in communication with the ink reservoir, an ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface, a ductor roller for transmitting ink from the first-mentioned to the second-mentioned of said ink rollers, means for supporting the ductor roller for movement in an orbital path, thereby translating the axis of the ductor roller to bring the ductor roller into rolling contact with each of said ink rollers, drive means for transmitting movement to the ductor roller to translate it in an orbital path of travel, a reciprocating pivotal arm movable in one direction to impart rotation to the ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir and movable in the opposite direction without imparting movement thereto, means movable in an orbital path with said ductor roller and engageable with said pivotal arm when the ductor cation with the ink reservoir and the pivotal arm coaxially.

10. An ink feeding mechanism as set forth in claim 8 wherein the pivotal arm is bifurcated at one end thereof, thereby forming a slot to receive therein the said means engageable with the pivotal arm.

11. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from a reservoir to an ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir, an ink roller in communication with the ink receiving surface, a ductor roller for transmitting ink from the firstmentioned to the second-mentioned of said ink rollers, means for supporting the ductor roller for movement in an orbital path, thereby translating the axis of the ductor roller to bring the ductor roller into rolling contact with each of said ink rollers, drive means for transmitting movement to the ductor roller to translate it in an orbital path of travel, a reciprocating actuating means associated with said ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir, means carried by the ductor roller for controlling the reciprocating actuating means, a pawl and ratchet drive for imparting rotation to the ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir during the operative stroke of the reciprocating actuating means, means pivotally connecting the pawl to the reciprocating actuating means, and adjustable cam means for moving the pawl out of operative engagement with the reachet during a portion of each stroke, whereby the adjustment of the adjustable cam means determines the rotational movement imparted to the ink roller in communication with the ink reservoir during each operative stroke of the reciprocating actuating means.

12. An ink feeding mechanism which supplies ink from an ink fountain to a movable ink receiving surface comprising an ink roller distribution system, said ink roller distribution system including at least two ink rollers in tangential engagement with the moving ink receiving surface, a fountain roller, a ductor roller for transferring ink from the fountain roller to a roller of the ink roller distribution system, drive transmitting means for imparting translation in an orbital path to the axis of the ductor roller, bringing the surface of the ductor roller into rolling contact with the fountain roller and the roller of the ink distribution system, and drive transmitting means for the roller of the ink roller distribution system which engages the ductor roller, said drive transmission system rotating the above-mentioned roller of the ink roller distribution system at a peripheral velocity which is less than the linear velocity of the moving ink receiving surface, thereby affording relative movement between surfaces of the ink roller distribution system which spreads the ink transmitted thereby more effectively, the said ink roller distribution system including a greater number of ink transmitting paths to supply ink to the ink roller of the ink distribution system which first engages the moving ink receiving surface than the ink roller of the distribution system which thereafter engages the ink receiving surface, whereby a heavier layer of ink is applied to the ink receiving surface by the ink roller first to apply ink thereto and a lighter layer of ink is applied to the ink receiving surface by the ink roller thereafter to apply ink thereto.

Walser et a1. -1 May 3, 1921 Han-old May 25, 1926 

